Electroplating apparatus



March l0, 1931.

c. H. HANSEN ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS Filed March 25. 192'? 2 Sheets-Sheet l ali---) INVENTOR NDL fvwm WITNEEEE! A TTORNEY March 10, 1931. Q H HANSEN 1,795,336

ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS Filed March 25. 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 VVITNEEEEE INVENTOR l v4, WW Y ATTORNEY Patented Mar. l0, 1931 usant cAnL H. HANSEN; or PORTLAND, CONNECTICUT ELECTRQPLATING APPARATUS Application filed March 25, 1927. Serial Ifo. 178,299.

This invention relates to improvements in electro-plating apparatus which comprises tumbling-barrels in which small articles are plated in bulk. The main object of the invention is to make a solution-holding tank of barrel-plating apparatus constitute a common feature of such apparatus and still# plating apparatus, so that barrel-plating only, or still-plating only,or both-performed together, canl be done conveniently with the new apparatus.

The invention consists of" electro-plating apparatus having the herein'described construction and mode of operation, and having the novel features specied in the claims.

On the accompanying two sheets of drawings, on which like reference numerals designate like parts in the different views Figure 1 is a plan of apparatus embodying p the invention, and including a solution-holding tank and a tumbling-barrel; i

Figure 2, a crosssection thereof,von plane 2-2, Figure 1, the direction of the viewbeing indicated by an arrow; i 5 v Figure 3, a fragmental longitudinal section thereof, on plane 3 3, Figure l, :the drection of the view being indicated by an arrow; f n Y `Figure 4, a perspective of the apparatus; Figure 5, a cross section of the tumblingbarrel; and Figure 6, an enlarged face view of a fragment of a perforated plate forming one of the sides of the barrel.

The particular apparatus which the drawings represent, and which is in use in a factory where small machines are made, is used in plating only smallarticles,and the, or each, tumbling-barrel of the apparatus, when 'the 40 barrel is suitably loaded with articles, can be put into and removed from the tank by hand. Of course larger apparatus embodying the claimed invention could be made and used and in it could be included mechanical barrellifting means. f'

Although a tank is a feature of common barrel-plating apparatus, and a tank is likewiseia feature of common still-platingapparatus, it is believed to be novel so to construct 5f plating apparatus as to enable barrel-plating and still-plating to' be done together, or either to be done alone, in a single tank. As this inventionconstitutes apparatus so construct edv the following description will further inform a person skilled in the art how plating like tha-t which the particularly described apparatus is-capable of doing can be done in 'each 'or any of a series of vtanks united in a system, so that numerous divisions of a large mass ofsmall'articles could be platedsimul- 6,0 taneously and quickly, even while stillplating was being done in one or more of the tanks of the system, and many articles could be still-plated while masses vof others were being barrel-plated. 'By enabling all this to 65' l be done with comparatively small and easily operated' apparatus, w 'this invention distin-v guishes itself from all others known to have receded it. y Y A p The tank of this apparatus does not mate- 79 rially dier from others which are old. AIt is composed of the sides 5, 6, ends 7, 8, and bottom 9, and is nearly 'filled with the platingsolution '10 when the apparatus is in use.

The barrel 11, which isshown in the form of a prism of hexagonalsection and has the sliding side or door 12, andthe sides of which are vperforated plates, like plate 13, Fig. 6), is essentially the samev as other well-known f tumbling-barrels, except that it is much 8.0 smaller than any other' commonly used in plating a large mass of articles in a single operation. This barrel hangs on the worksupport 14, which is anelectrical conductor held by a pair of standards 15, y16, at a height above thetank that is greater than the diameter of the barrel. The standards are fast on the ends 7 and 8 of the tank. The barrel is here shown mounted on the cathode-rod 17 to which, at its ends, are attached conductors 18 and 19 which have at their upper ends the hooks 20 and 21 that fit on the support 141-. Of course when the barrel hangs on the support the hooks or upper ends of the conductors 18 and 19 are at an elevation above the 95 tank that is greater than the diameter of the barrel. These conductors are copper straps and theyare covered with wood casings 22, 23 to protect 'them from the solution. The straps and casings are bolted together by the 10G long bolts 24, (Fig. 4) to form a sort of frame which constitutes the hanger of the barrel and cathode-rod. The pulley 26 is fast on the head 27 of the barrel (Fig. 3), and the barrel and pulley turn on the cathoderod which, as shown in the present instance is also the barrel-shaft. The shaft 28, which is power-driven and is mounted on the standards 15 and 16 directly over the work-support 14, is connected by the belt-wheel 29 fast on the shaft, and by the belt- 30, with the pulley 26, so that the shaft imparts rotary motion to the barrel. When the barrel'is in use the hooks 20 and 21 of the hanger extend under keepers 31 and 32 respectively which are fast on support 14, and the casing 22 of conductor 18 passes through and .fits closely in the-recess 33 in the'block or fork 34 which is fast on the end 7 of the tank atV the lower end of standard 15, so that the hanger is prevented by the keepers and block from being disconnected from the work-supporting rod and from swinging on the rod. The hanger is movable on the rod, on which the hooks I can slide to and from the keepers and block,

and when the hanger and barrel are inthe positions indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3 they can be lifted out of the tank together and either taken away or put in the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2, theelevation of the rod being such as to enable'that readil-y to be done, although the rod` isA permanently held fast by the standards. rIhe barrel may be loaded when it is out of the tank,

' either in the indicated place or elsewhere, and

then put into the tank and into use in a few moments.

The other pair of standards 35, 36are also fast on the ends 7 and 8 of the tank. These standards permanently hold the work-support 37 which is a conductor of electricity, and onthem is mounted the shaft 38. rlhe elevation of support 37 is the same as that of support 14, and the elevation of shaft 38 is the same as that of shaft 28.` The belt-wheel and pulley 40 are fast on shaft 38 and this shaft is connected to shaft 28 by the belt 41 passing over pulley 40 and the similar pulley 42 fast on shaft 28. The keepers 43, 44, which are like keepers 31 and 32, are fast on support 37, and the block or fork 45'in which is a recess 46 and which is like block 34. is fast on end 7 of the tank at the lower end of standard 35. In short, the standards 35, 36 and the parts associated with them are duplicates of the standards 15, 16 and the corresponding parts, so that the barrel above described or another one like it, can be hungr from the rod 37 and driven by pulley 39. In the drawing, however, that side of the tank where standards V35, 36 are located is shown in use for still-plating.

Copper straps 47, 48, having the hooks 49, 50 which pass over work-support 37 form a hanger that holds the sub-support or cathode 51 above and near the surface of the platingsolution, and can in a moment be unhooked from or hooked to support 37. Articles to be still-plated are hung from rod 51.

To the work-supports 14 and 37 is attached the copper bar 52 from which extends the wire 53 which is the return-wire of the electric circuit.

The rods 54, 55, 56 lie on, and in grooves formed in, the ends of the tank and to these rods, which-are conductors of electricity, is attached the copper bar 57 to which is connected" the wire 58 which conveys the electric current to the apparatus. On these rods hang the anodes 59, having` the hooks 60 whichfpass over. and rest on the rods,

The electric current goes fromwvire 58 to bar 57, `rods 54,55, 56, anodes 59,7a-nd` solution 10'inA order, and from solution 10to cathodes 17 and 51, and from them to worksupports-17 and 37 and bar 52 to wire 53.

Vire loops, one of which 61, is shown in Fig. 5, hang on cathode 17 and make contact With the articles 62 confined in the barrel.

Further explanation of.v the plating process is believed to be unnecessary for the information. of anybody skilled in the electroplating art.

The barrel and barrel-hanger shown and described may also be hung on work-support 37, or a similar barrel and asimilar barrelhanger united as are those described may be hung from that work-support. The hanger would be prevented by keepers 43, 44 acting as keepers 31 and 32 act on hooks 2 0 and 21, and by block 45 acting` as block 34 acts on casing 32 of strap 18, from being raised from or swung on the work-support, inv operation, and the barrel would be rot-ated by a belt running'over belt-wheel 39 and the pulley affixed to the barrel. Besides, cathode-rod 51 or another like it, may be hung from worksupport 14. Hence, barrel-plating may be done inthe tank in two barrels operatedA together, or still-plating may be done in it on articles suspended from two cathode-rods, or both barrel-plating and still-plating may be done in it simultaneously.

By extending the sides and bottom of the described tank as indicated in Figs. 1 and 4, dividing` the space between the prolonged sides into compartments by means of an ending and partitions, erecting standards on the partitions, extending shafts 28, 38, and worksupports 14 and 37, etc. afxing belt-driving wheels to those shafts, keepers to the worksupports and recessed blocks to the partitions, and supplying united barrels and hangers and united still-plating cathodes and hangers and barrel-turning belts, a single system of apparatus may be produced with which barrel-plating and still-plating of small articles in large or small quantities may be practiced simultaneously or alter.- nately and with which both or either of the .1. Electroplating plating processes may be performed inl a single tank or in each or any tank of a series of tanks.

By mere extension and duplication, the apparatus can be made of any desired size and capacity. With such an outfit, whenever there is a barrel of small parts readyfor,

plating, it may in a few seconds be hung in whatever section of the apparatus happens to be vacant at the time; and the same is true of a .batch of parts to be still-plated.

Various changes may be made in the .details of construction and arrangement without departing from the invention, and of course the apparatus may be used for various kinds of plating including nickel-plating for which purpose the apparatus has been mainly devised and used.

Vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

apparatus including mechanism of which a.tumbling-barrel'is a component and which is mounted on standards fast on and extending upwardly from opposite walls of a solution-holding tank, the mechanism comprising the combination of a current-conductingwvoi'k-support Yheld permanently by the standards above the tank and at an elevation therefrom greater t-han the diameter of the barrel, barrel-hanging means in which pendent conductors detachably connected to the work-support at their upper ends are included, a cathode connected to the pendent conductors at their lower ends, the barrel, through which the cathode passes, barrel-rotating mechanism, and holding-devices which act on the barrel-hanging means when the apparatus is in use and from which said means may be disconnected to enable it and the barrel together to be swung on the work-support and to be raised and lowered and to hang from the work-support when the barrel is either within or outside of the plating solution.

2. Electroplating Yapparatus including mechanism of which a tumbling-barrelis a component and which is mounted on standards fast on and extending upwardly from opposite walls of a solution-holding tank, the

i mechanism comprising the combination of a current-conducting work-support held permanently by the standards above the tank and at an elevation therefrom greater than the diameter of the barrel, barrel-hanging means in which pendant conductors detachably connected to the work-support at their upper ends are included, a cathode connected to the pendent conductors at their lower ends, the barrel, through which the cathode passes and i: to which a pulley is attached, a rotary shaft mounted on the standards above the worksupport, a belt-wheel on said shaft, the rimA of the wheel at its lower side being near the work-support, a belt passing over said beltwheel and pulley and around the work-support,anddriving'mechanism connected to the' belt-wheel," the length of the pendent conductors being -greater than the distance between the work-support and a wall of the tank and the barrel-hanging'means being movable without interference between .the belt and work-support to a position in which it hangs on the-work-support and rests-on'that wall'.V

' 3. Electroplating ,apparatus including mechanism of-whichya tumbling-barrel,` is a component and'which is mounted on standards fast onV and extending upwardly from opposite Vwalls of` a solution-holdingk tank, the mechanism comprising the combination of a current-conducting work-support held permanently by the standards above the tank and at an elevation therefrom greater than` the diameter of the barrel, barrel hanging means in which pendent conductors detachably connected to the work-support attheir upper ends are included, a cathode connected to the pendent conductors at their lower ends, the barrel, through which the cathode passes, barrel-rotating mechanism, and holding-devices which act on the barrel-hanging means when the apparatus is in use, the length of the pendent conductors being greater than the distance between the work-support and a wall of the tank and the barrel hanging means being movable to and from a position in which it hangs on the work-support and rests on that wall and supports the barrel outside of the tank.

,4. Electroplating land barrel-plating apparatus comprising a solution-holding tank the width of which is greater than twice the diameter of the barrel, standards fast on and extending upwardly from the end walls of the tank, and two current-conducting work-supports permanently held by the standards above the tank, the distance between the work-supports being greater than the diameter of the barrel and the distance of each work-support from the nearer side wall of the tank being greater than the diameter of the barrel, the construction being such that two barrels may be immersed and hang si de-by-side in the tank, and may be separately removed from and replaced in the tank by passing each between its current-conducting support and the nearer side wall of the tank.

5. Electroplating apparatus including mechanism of which a tumbling-barrel is a component and which is mounted on standards fast on and extending upwardly from opposite walls of a solution-holding tank on which is a stationary fork, the mechanism comprising the combination of a currentconducting work-support held permanently by the standards above the tank and having a pair of keepers thereon, a barrel-hanging frame including a pair of pendent conductors and hooks forming their upper ends, by which hooks the frame is detachably connected to the work-support, aV cathode connected to lso - Lio the pendent conductors at their lower ends, the barrel, through Which the cathode passes, und barrel-rotating mechanism, the hooks passing under the keepers and a side of the barrel-hanging frame passing through Jthe stationary fork When the apparatus is in use, andthe frame being movable on the Worksupport from and. to the keepers and fork,

SignedA at Middletown, in the County of Middlesex and State of Connecticut this 21st day of Mai-eh, A. D. 1927.

CARL H. HANSEN. 

